Lesson 102 Vendor Record Basics

These notes are designed to be used in combination with the video presentation 102 Vendor Record Basics above. Make sure speakers are turned ON

1 – In this tutorial I will cover how to create and edit vendor records and how to select them from an item record. Click Go to get to the Main Menu and select the Inventory button and then Vendor Records. Or you can select Vendors from the tool bar or from the Go pull-down menu, choose vendors.

2 – To add a new vendor click F3. The F3, above the row of numbers on your keyboard works in many screens to add a new record.

3 – The first field in your new vendor record is the vendor code. The vendor code is a unique abbreviation for your vendor. Usually this code is shorter than the vendor name so it will be easier to type, but some like to make it the same name as the vendor so it is easier to remember. When adding a new Vendor record the Vendor Code field says AUTO. This is because we are using automatically generated codes for Vendors, in this instance we are using Vendors Initials. It is important to keep the vendor code small if you are using the default numbering scheme for item records that combines the vendor code with a number. See tutorial 101 Numbering Schemes for more details.

4 – The Vendor Code for new vendor records is generated when the record is saved. If you do not like the code that is generated you can edit the record and change the code.

5 – Most of the fields in the vendor record are self explanatory. It is always beneficial to fill in as much information as you have about the vendor. It will give you one place of reference and the necessary information will show on purchase orders.

6 – The Main Category field, at the bottom left, is used if most of the items from this vendor fall into a specific category. When you create new inventory items and specify the vendor, the category will be set to the category you specify here. If the items from this vendor fall into a number of different categories then leave it set to “(none)”.

7 – The Vendor Type field helps you classify different types of vendors, you can filter vendor records based on this field in the vendor power search.

8 – If you have a target margin for items from this vendor then you can go to the Pricing & Consignment tab and set a formula from the Pricing Scheme pull-down. Keystone Markup is built in but you can add additional formulas by selecting the Edit List Option and then the Add button.

9 – For example if you have a target of a 60% margin then your formula would be Price = (Cost times 2.5).

10 – You can also set the price to Round to the Nearest Multiple for example 1.00 OR to End in a Specific Pattern such as 99 cents.

11 – We will see how this works when we get to the item record screens. This can be useful as a guideline to the pricing of your owned items.

12 – The next part of this tab deals with Consignment settings. In Artisan you can use one vendor record for both consigned & owned inventory.

13 – When setting up a Consignment vendor it is important to configure these settings for each vendor. There are also default settings that can be set for Vendor records. These are useful if you only sell consignment or the majority of your items are consignment. These can be found under the Tools Menu. We will cover the default settings in another tutorial.

14 – If the Vendor is consignment change Consignment Vendor to Yes.

15 – If all the items from this vendor are consignment, then set the “New Items Default to Consignment?” field to Yes.

16 – The Consignment Cost Model determines if and how discounts are distributed with the vendor and the vendor will be paid accordingly. The Consignment Cost Model is recorded with the sale, so changes made to this field will only affect new sales. For example, if the vendor agrees to share the discounts during a sales event, then this setting can be changed just for that event and set back to normal when the sale is over.

17 – Monthly Rental Fee and Consignor Pays Credit Card fees are often only used in a consignment mall setting. Leave these unchanged if you do not use them. If you are going to charge the credit card fees then turn this option to Yes. The fees are set within each payment type under Program Options.

18 – Under the Notes & Keywords tab there are fields to add additional information about the vendor.

19 – The Pop-up Note will show as soon as you start a PO for this vendor. It will appear below the vendor name. It’s useful if there is something specific you need to remember such as a minimum order amount for free shipping.

20 – The Memo field is for extra notes about a vendor that will be stored in the vendors record. This does not show on a PO.

21 – Keywords can be used to group vendors.

22 – We have covered all the basic information for setting up vendor records. In a future tutorial we will go into more depth in the areas we have not covered.